(Image source from: wtop.com)

The National Capital Barbecue Battle takes over Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 3rd Street Northwest, just off the National Mall on June 23 and 24.

The celebration of all things meat and heat is packed with activities including eating competitions, cooking demos, live music, beer and wine tastings, and the namesake battle itself, which brings out some of the best-known pit masters.

Winners in the Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned event can take home a share of a $20,000 prize pool, bragging rights and most importantly, an invite to the  World Championship of Jack Daniel Invitational this October in Tennessee.

Competitors are judged on their meats (chicken, brisket, pork shoulder and ribs) and sauces. Individual category winners and an overall winner are named.

Tuffy Stone of Richmond, Virginia, is a cookbook author who has won the world champion multiple times. He is known for his appearances on reality television barbecue shows.

He said since the D.C. event’s winner becomes an automatic qualifier for “The Jack” Championship, it brings out some of the toughest competitors.

“Cooking in the nation’s capital is so exciting to me,” Stone said. “Because of the event’s automatic status, we’ll see great pitmasters from all over the country descending upon D.C. to see if they can win that event and go to The Jack.”

Stone, who won The Jack for the third straight year in 2016, will be competing against local challengers, along with fellow nationally-known pitmasters like Moe Cason, who is coming in from Des Moines, Iowa, as both a presenter and competitor.

By Lokesh